Fifty Floors of Memory
by PierceTheVeils
Summary: Raymond thinks Miles is ready to overcome his fear of elevators. Edgeworth disagrees. Takes place shortly after AAI2


Fifty Floors of Memory

Edgeworth was about to take the stairs down from the roof of the Grand Tower when Mr. Shields called out.

"Surely you don't plan to walk down fifty flights of stairs, do you Miles?"

He sighed. This was why he's refused an office any higher than the twelfth floor of the Prosecutor's Office. But he was used to walking down stairs. It got him exercise, if nothing else.

"Yes, I do. Goodbye, Mr. Shields."

The defense attorney studied him, eyes taking on a knowing glint. He'd been in the courthouse the day DL-6 occurred, if a few rooms over. Surely he understood why Edgeworth acted the way he did.

"You know Miles, you've come a long away this past week or so. I bet you can handle it."

Could the man not see he wished to be left alone? Edgeworth bowed to Mr. Shields, trying to remain polite. "No thank you, Mr. Shields. The last time I thought such things, I found a dead body in the elevator. After everything, I see no need to use an elevator for as long as I can avoid it."

Against all expectation, Mr. Shields smiled. At that moment, the elevator arrived.

The defense attorney stepped aside, looking up and dow. "See? Completely empty. Now what did your Uncle Ray tell you?"

Edgeworth was not given a chance to respond as the older man quickly pushed him into the elevator. He tried to get out, but the doors closed before he had the chance. He reached for the 49th floor's button, to no avail.

The elevator began to move downwards, and all of Edgeworth's senses were on high alert. The air was thickening around him. It became hard to breathe. Did they keep a flow of oxygen in these cramped places? Logically, they must, but Edgeworth wasn't using logic at the moment. He was too busy waiting for the ground to shake.

All of this, Raymond Shields was oblivious to. "See Miles? There is absolutely nothing wrong with riding an-"

And the elevator stopped on floor thirty-two. With no warning at all. The doors didn't open, seconds passed. There was only one reason this could be happening.

They were trapped.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Shields mused to himself. He must have finally noticed Edgeworth's expression, because he took the time to comment. "Don't worry Miles, I'm sure the maintenance folks will show up. It will only take a few minutes."

Edgeworth didn't hear him. He was too busy searching for the source of that noise.

Someone was screaming for air. Air was disappearing in the elevator.

He saw a man before him. Young, in his mid-twenties. He wore a bailiff's uniform, and was shouting at another man.

Not just any man. His father. He wore his usual suit, his face a mask of defeat and growing fear.

Edgeworth lay in a corner, small and unimportant. He couldn't do anything about their situation. It frustrated him.

The voices were getting louder, his vision was getting darker... He had to stop the fight. He couldn't let that bailiff hurt his father!

Gunshots rang out in the distance. But they sounded so close.

He fell to the ground, unable to keep himself awake in the lack of air.

"Miles!"

* * *

Raymond Shields walked off the elevator on the ground floor, dragging an unconscious Miles off with him. They'd been trapped up there for five minutes.

A young prosecutor ran up to the two men. It was Debeste. "Whoa, what happened?"

"Miles here has a little bit of trouble with elevators. I wasn't about to let him walk down fifty flights of stairs, so he was with me when the elevator got stuck."

Without another word, the boy began to help pull Miles out. He wasn't a light man, but with two people working, they got him to fresh air.

"Can you help me revive him?" Raymond asked the kid. Sebastian stared at him, confused.

"What should I do? I've never had to revive a fainted person before. Are you sure he's-"

"He'll be fine, Sebastian." Justine Courtney appeared from the entrance. "The worst thing that could happen is he hit his head in the fall."

Her tone was warm, motherly towards the young prosecutor. Sebastian might as well have been her son.

And who knows? Maybe he would be, for a year or so. From what Raymond had heard, Sebastian's mom hasn't been granted custody in the divorce. It had been messy, or so the rumors said. But that was years ago.

Before Raymond realized it, all three of them were fanning Miles, trying to get him to wake up. He came to almost a minute later.

"What... Did I-"

"Faint? Yeah," Raymond held out his hand, pulling Miles up to his feet. "Sorry about that."

"I guess I'm not ready after all," he turned to the side, refusing to look anyone in the eye. For a while, everyone was silent.

"You can do it, Mr. Edgeworth! You just have to work at it!"

Everyone turned towards Sebastian Debeste, who was gripping his baton with determination in his eyes. "We all have to overcome things in life, right? But there's always a path, isn't there? Just like you showed me with finding the truth! If anyone can overcome their issues, it's you."

Miles stared at the teen, surprise coating his eyes. Before he could respond, Raymond joined in.

"You've come far, Miles. I know a certain someone who'd be proud of you. He wouldn't want anything to stand in the way of your happiness, no matter what path you took."

Looking at the two of them, Edgeworth offered a smile. Raymond glanced towards the judge, who didn't seem interested in speaking. She was smiling at Sebastian, approval in her eyes.

"Thank you," Miles bowed, shaking a little. "Now... I believe a celebration is in order."

"Celebration? Of what?"

Miles looked towards Sebastian, eyes similar to Courtney-pie's. "Why, a celebration of your first case, of course. You found the truth, after all."

As it turned out, anyone who hadn't been killed or arrested for the last week had been invited to the celebration. It was a great evening, if a strange idea for Miles Edgeworth to suggest. It would be years before he attended a party again.

But... He did ride the elevator up to the second floor of the Prosecutor's Office a week later. Just to accompany the new prosecutor, Klavier Gavin, to his office. Miles didn't even understand why this was a big deal, even if Raymond and Kay both called him to congratulate after hearing the news.

Baby steps, Miles. Baby steps.

* * *

 **A/N's: Story time, y'all. I actually wrote this tiny one-shot a long time ago, for a kink meme prompt (what else do I write fics for?) and then forgot I wrote it. So just this evening, I'm searching part 29 for a certain other fill (that I have yet to find) and I come across this and think to myself: "hey, this fill wasn't half bad. Why don't I put it under my own name while I write three other things?"**

 **So here ya go. It's supposed to take place soon after AAI2, as fan-translated. Anyone who hasn't played yet/watched a walkthrough really should, because I think it's one of the best and most challenging games of the series. Do it right after you leave a review here, kay?**


End file.
